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 soul, their  life  unto  their  task,  how  much  more  so,  in the  work  of  spreading  the  kingdom  of  God! The martyrs because  they  died  and  with  their  blood  fertilized the  ground,  bore  increase  a  hundredfold,  for their spirits,  released  and  diffused  abroad  through their example,  spread  about  a  very  epidemic  of  faith and hope  and  love. By such  means,  too,  must  our own salvation  be  procured,  for  unless  we  rise  superior to self  we  shall  never  accomplish  our  highest  destiny. " He  that  loveth  his  life  shall  lose  it,"  says  Christ, " and  he  that  hateth  his  life  in  this  world,  keepeth  it unto  life  eternal." Our tendency  is  to  load  ourselves down with  good  things  of  earth,  whereas,  to  wrestle successfully with  Satan,  we  must  be  as  abstemious and as  thinly  clad  as  an  athlete. It is  the  heavy  load on the  rich  man's  back  that  makes  the  way  to  heaven appear to  him  so  steep  and  the  gate  so  narrow. The one argument  against  salvation  for  the  majority  is the  amount  of  selfishness  in  the  world,  and  Christ's threat  that  whoever  loves  his  life  here  shall  lose  it hereafter. For no  man,  whose  efforts  in  the  work  of salvation  began  and  ended  in  himself  ever  did,  or  ever can, reach  heaven. Faith is  all  very  well,  but  it  is  not enough, for  Christ  suffered  for  us,  leaving  us  an  example to  be  followed. The true  economy  of  salvation, therefore,  is  to  save  ourselves  by  sacrificing  self for the  salvation  of  others. Woe to  him  who  approaches his  Judge  single-handed  and  alone. Like the wicked  servant  who  hid  his  talent  in  a  napkin,  his master will  order  him  to  be  cast  into  exterior  darkness. Our work,  whether  it  be  the  suppression  of